Vacuum cleaning-tool.



J. T. HGPE. VACUUM CLEANING TOOL. APPLIUATION FILED MAR. as, 1909.

Patented July 18, 1912.

JOHN '1. HOPE, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

VACUUM CLEANING-TOOL.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 16, 1 912. Application filed March 29, 1909. Serial No. 486,482. 2 I

To all whom it may concern Be it known that LJoHN T. Horn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of- Missouri, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Vacuum Cleaning- Tools, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to vacuum cleaning tools of that type adapted to rest upon and be moved along the object to'be cleaned, to receivetlie dust and dirt withdrawn therefrom by su'ctio'nal "action produced up through the tool, and my object is to produce a tool' ofthe character outlined by which a car et-or other object can be efficiently an expeditiously cleaned and which embodies the desirable features of simplicity, strength, durability and cheap ness of construction,

A further object is to produce a tool of this character'by Which all of the exposed.

With these objects in View the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organization as hereinafter described and claimed; and in.

order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1, is a view partly in front elevation and partly in central vertical section of a vacuum cleaning tool embodying my invention. Fig. 2, is an enlarged section corresponding to the part of Fig. 1 in section but showing; a modified construction. Fig. 3, is a vertical section on the line VI-VI of Fig. 2. Fig. 4, is an end viewof the tool equipped with sliding shoes or runners. In the, said drawing, 1 indicates a shell of suitable length and of inverted U-shape in cross section, by preference. The lower side of the shell is open to constitute a receiving opening or mouth and the shell is also'provided with a tubular stem 2, constituting an exit opening, to be connected with-a hollow handle, not shown, which in turn is adaptedto be connected to a flexible hose or pipe leading to apparetu'sfor creating suctional' action up through the tool, as common in vacuum cleaning apparatus; this hose and apparatus being omitted as forming no part of the invention.

Extending from end to end of the shell and protruding through the receiving open;

ing thereof is a movable partition or shoe for frictional contact with the object to he cleaned, and to hold the shell clear-of such This movable partition preferably object. consists of a strip 3 of felt, secured by screwbolts 4 or otherwise between the down weirdly-diverging flanges 5 of abar ti' pro on the floor or surface being cleanedyfon wardl or rearwardly accordingly/asthe shell is moved forward or ."rearward. f The" result "of the-forward rocking movement of 'the shoe and advance movement of the shell,

is to'cause the rear wall of the latter andtlfe' rear side of the shoe to engage and establish on air-tightjoint or connection preventing dust-laden a1r from passing up in thei'shellrearward of the shoe. It also spaces-apart the front wall of the shell and. thecorre' face of the shoe so. that thejdustspondin laden air shall be drawn upward into the fll shell in advance of the shoe. the'latter. rest.-

ing' upon the floor so. i to f hen the shell is move I event air frdm, a polnt rearward at me shoe fron being drawn up into the shell in advance ofthe d rearward the shoe rocks in the same direction so that. its

, front side shall engage the front'wall. ofthe shell with an air-tight relation and open'up communication through the shell between the rear wall of the same and the corr' sponding side of the shoe, to permit dus laden air to be collected rearward of th shoe only, it, being -uriderstood Qth at'this rocking action of the shoe onlyoccursas the direction of movementof the'shell; is 119- versed, that is, as itstarts "on its forward rearward movement,v it being-- also under,

I I i 9*.

rollers 12, and the shoe, of theltype' shown! Fig. 3, and correspondingly numbered,' has elongated openings or slots l3 in the ears 7j to receive the inner ends of sc'rew bolts '8 secured in the end-Walls of thelshell f r In the construction shown by Figs. 2 and 3 the rollers 12 carry all ,of the weight: of

the tool exceptthat oft he shoe, and thus enable the operator to move the tool back and forth with no perceptible exertion, the shoe playing vertically on its pivot bolts 8 each time the movement of the tool is reversed.-

It will also be apparent that a verticallymovable shoe adjusts itself to the surface of the floor and thus compensates for wear.

I It is believed that a reeapitulation of the operation is unnecessary other than to draw attention to the fact that by restricting the entrance of the air to the shell between a wall of the sameand the adjacent side of the shoe, the suction created is of substantially twice the power it would be if air was permitted to pass into the shell at both sides of the shoe simultancously, in other words, by providing the tool with a narrow inlet it has greater pick-up power and the dust-laden air travels with the greater velocity than if permitted to enter the tool at both sides of the shoe or if the shell was not equipped with the partitioning shoe.

This tool can be used on a polished floor or other object to great advantage there is practically no danger of the felt shoe scratcl'iing or marring the finish of such floor or ob ect, 1t being also noted that the felt, being compresslblc, will adapt tself to slight irregularities in the surface of theobject upon which it is operated.

If desiredfelt: or equivalent runners or stationary shoes 14, (Fig. 4,) as distinguished from the rotatable shoes or rollers 12, may be employed in conjunction with the vertically movable shoe of Figs. 2 and 3, as the difference in friction between stationary shoes or runners and movable shoes or rollens wou d he immaterial in the operation of a tool of this character.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a vacuum clearr ing-tool embodying the features of advan- -tage enumerated as desirable and which is and projecting through said open side for engagement with the object to be cleaned.

1n testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN T. HOPE.

Witnesses H. C. Romans, G. Y. Trronrn. 

